The present invention relates to cooking devices and more particularly pertains to pans for cooking foods in a particular shape and cooking several different food items at once over a single heat source.
Pancakes, in particular, generally require much higher temperatures than do other grille cooked foodstuffs and thus add nuisance variables. For instance if a chef is limited to the use of a single grille, a sizable area of this cooking surface must be raised in temperature of approximately 100 degrees to accommodate pancake preparation. Numerous prior methods are available for preparing pan or griddle cooked foods in a particular shape using a shaped pan or pan insert. For example, the mass production of pancakes, such as in high volume specialty restaurants, institutions or for repacking as frozen food to be warmed in a microwave oven, can be accomplished using a variety of methods wherein the liquid pancake batter is confined in a circular dish or plate. Many inventors attempted to automate the manufacture of pancakes, one of the first being Jaffe, U.S. Pat. No. 2,830,529. The particular shape or outline is dependent on the operator or user of this assembly.
Automated pancakes cooking devices provide for the automated turning of batter after the first side is cooked. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,963 teaches an electric pancake maker using a metering pump system to dispense batter simultaneously onto a first cooking surface assembly including a plurality of concave cooking dishes; a heated smooth faced second cooking surface assembly and a means to pivot those surfaces to flip partially cooked pancakes from one surface to the other, and ultimately discharge fully cooked pancakes in an automated manner.
Other forms of high volume pancake cooking equipment confine batter to a fully enclosed cavity for simultaneous cooking of both sides.
As such, automated high volume cooking equipment is neither versatile in function, as the insert or cavities are not designed to facilitate manual removal of cooked food of various thicknesses and consistencies, in accordance with a wide range interests that can be expected of consumers cooking at home.
Other methods of cooking uniform serving portions of shapes from liquid or batter mixtures include using a ring type enclosure having a vertical wall that is placed on a larger flat griddle. As an explanatory example, the use of such outline forms is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,978. The inventor teaches that the form is placed on a frying pan or grill for cooking foods. The outline-confined foods, such as eggs or batter, are rapidly cooked to form a skin or layer at the lower surface and outer perimeter, which skin permits removal of the outline ring or form while the foodstuff retains the shape of the outline. This outline form is not integral with the griddle or frying pan. It is unclear whether the foodstuff may be fried or cooked on both sides without disturbing the fluid center portion of the crust surrounded the already-formed shell of the crust. Thus, it is unclear whether the foodstuff may be fried on both sides without disturbing the outline shapes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,120 discloses a cooking utensil with an image contoured on its frying surface for transfer of such image to either one or both of the upper and lower surfaces of a foodstuff fried on the frying surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,022 discloses a cooking system for cooking several different food items at once over a single heat source, combining ring inserts and cavity type features. The cooking system includes a pan with a base panel, a peripheral sidewall upwardly extending from the base panel, and a handle extending from the peripheral sidewall. An insert rests on an upper edge of the peripheral sidewall of the pan. The insert comprises an upper panel and an abutting wall downwardly extending from a rear edge of the upper panel and engaging the base panel of the pan. The abutting wall is designed for confining food to an area of the pan not covered by the insert. The insert has a pair of depressions designed for receiving food therein.
Other cooking pans and griddles utilize cavities or multiple compartment that cover the entire cooking surface, and generally include U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D380,347, D275,449; D383,354, D275,440; D275,440 and D380,347, D275,449; D383,354, D275,440; D275,440 and D 383,354; but also U.S. Pat. Nos. 867,086; 2,515,617; 4,462,388; and 6,386,092, which are incorporated herein by reference.
However, despite the various attempts to improve the efficacy of cooking pancakes, or provide for the simultaneous cooking of pancakes and other types of foods, the prior art solutions compromise several aspects of functionality of importance to the consumer and home cook.
In particular, with respect to permanent cavity pans it can be difficult to remove and flip pancakes, to cook the second side, without damage. Pans and devices that utilize wall inserts, and thus enable multiple uses of the same pan, are generally unattractive for consumers, as the inserts are either poor barriers to low viscosity batters (which can seep through the interface of the cooking surface and insert) or as a separate component, requires extra cleaning efforts.
Overlay type insert are unattractive for similar reasons, and do not truly enable simultaneous cooking of other foods, as the poor heat transfer to the inserts may require a compromise with the heat setting that is most desirable for the underlying pan. In fact, this can be a distinct disadvantage as non-stick coatings on some pans can be damaged, or in some circumstances emit unsafe fumes when the recommended heating limits are exceeded.
It is therefore a first object of the present invention to provide a cooking pan suitable for home or consumer use that enables the consistent cooking of pancakes; as well as related foods prepared from liquids, pastes or batters; the cooked food having an aesthetically pleasing appearance, being uniform in shape and completely cooked through.
It is another object of the present invention to provide the aforementioned benefits in a cooking pan without increasing the difficulty of removing cooked foods or cleaning the pan.
It is yet a further objective of the present invention to provide the aforementioned benefits for a cooking pan without using multiple separate components and retain the versatility for multiple uses and the simultaneous cooking of a variety of food types.